Essay

Globalisation can be defined as the increasing cross-border interaction and integration of various aspects of human activity. Based on this view of globalisation, identify one problematic area of the phenomenon and discuss its influence on contemporary society. What actual or possible means are there to ameliorate the issue you have highlighted?

International trade has been one of the highlights of globalisation which causes rapid manufacturing, trading and consuming of material goods in an undetermined amounts. Alongside with the growth of global trade is the destruction of the environment (Huwart & Verdier, 2013). For example, trading has increased transportation which requires the burning of fossil fuels to function. This in turn leads to a higher production of carbon dioxide (CO₂), a commonly observed greenhouse gas (GHG). The excess CO₂ would trap heat and increase the temperature of the Earth, causing the greenhouse effect which results in climate change (EPA, 2013). In addition, globalisation has also encouraged deforestation which is another cause of climate change. Clearing of forests and logging decreased the amount of trees available to convert CO₂ into oxygen (O₂). As a result, the amount of CO₂ will not decrease in the atmosphere (Huwart & Verdier, 2013). Furthermore, driven by the profits, many had also participated in illegal logging and thus, resulting in the reduction of even more forests. This creates a serious threat to the world’s forest and promote climate change (Greenpeace, 2013). Therefore, a few solutions have been proposed to delay the process of environmental damage.

With the growth of global trade, transportation will definitely increase and the burning of fossil fuels for vehicles will be a main concern of CO₂ production. Therefore, one solution to counteract this problem is the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy. The sources of such energy are wind, water and sunlight that occur naturally without human intervention. In addition, they do not emit CO₂ into the atmosphere upon its use. Examples of these energy usages are the progressively popular small wind turbines that generate 75kW or less to supplement electricity needs. On the other hand, the solar power systems have a wide variety of approaches, from maximising the usage of sunlight for heating and lighting to the usage of photovoltaic (PV) solar cells to produce electricity. Furthermore, smaller PV solar cells are cost-effective and can be used for farming equipment like water pumps (Wolfe & et al, 2011).

Conversely, there is still a minor problem present. For instance, a large amount of aluminium is needed for PV’s panel frames (Matson, 2013). In addition, there are also other factors that have to be regarded such as sufficient wind (Wolfe & et al, 2011). Therefore, further research and improvement have to be undertaken to better utilise the renewable energy. However, the use of such energy is definitely a feasible method as the growth of global trade will increase transportation which will cause more burning of fossil fuels. Therefore, usage of renewable energy would be an effective alternative to help reduce the production of CO₂ and decrease the greenhouse effect.

Globalisation has also encouraged deforestation for agriculture activities and logging which involves cutting down of trees to provide wood to manufacture products such as furniture and papers (Conserve Energy Future, 2013). However, more than half of the logging activities that occurred in exposed forest regions located within Southeast Asia and Central Africa are deemed to be illegal. This is due to poor governance and corruption and the incompetence of government to stop importation of illegal logged products (Greenpeace, 2013). Therefore, one solution proposed for this problem is the Sustainable Forestry Initiative ® (SFI) program. This program aims to raise awareness of illegal logging through regulation, certification and partnerships.  In addition, SFI-certified forests which are mainly found in the United States and Canada have minimum risk of illegal logging activities (SFI, 2013). Hence, this shows that the SFI-certified forests may be able help to reduce illegal logging. With the decrease in illegal logging, lesser forests will be cleared and this can help to decelerate climate change.

In conclusion, globalisation has indeed boosted the economic with trades. However, alongside with it are the negative impacts such as environmental damages. Nevertheless, the proposed solutions from different organisations have definitely help to reduce the environmental damages of globalisation and delay the process of climate change.

References:

1.       Conserve Energy Future. (2013). Deforestation: Compromises of a Growing World. Retrieved from http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-effects-solutions-of-deforestation.php

2.       EPA. (2013). Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/sources.html

3.       Huwart, J.Y and Verdier, L (2013), “What is the impact of globalisation on the environment?” in Economic Globalisation: Origins and consequences, OECD Publishing. doi.org/10.1787/9789264111905-8-en

4.       Greenpeace. (2013) Illegal logging. Retrieved from http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/forests/threats/illegal-logging/

5.       Matson J. (2013, October 1). Renewable Energy’s Hidden Costs. Scientific American™

6.       SFI. (2013). SFI: Taking Action Against Illegal Logging. Retrieved from http://www.sfiprogram.org/files/pdf/illegalloggingpdf/

Wolfe, D., et al. (2011). Climate Change Facts Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. 1-4. Retrieved from http://www.nrcc.cornell.edu/climate_change/climate_farmenergy.pdf